India GCC market size to reach US$110b by 2030: EY report

• Total number of GCCs in India to reach 2400 by year 2030; to employ 4.5 million across these centres
• New GCC set-ups to jump to 115 per year, from the current 70

Mumbai/Bengaluru, 8 June 2023: EY, the leading professional services organization, today released its ‘Future of GCCs in India - a vision 2030’ report highlighting the expansion of GCCs by 2030 on account of the country’s skilled workforce, favourable business and policy environment and growing infrastructure. 

The report estimates that the domestic GCC market size will potentially reach US$110b by the year 2030 (from the current US$45b), led by software exports, which remain a key component of India's service exports. It is predicted that by 2030, India will have 2400 GCCs and that number can potentially increase to 2550 as India emerges as the world's technology and services hub. The total number of new GCC set-ups every year can jump up to 115 (from the current 70). 

Arindam Sen, Partner and GCC Sector Lead - Technology, Media & Entertainment and Telecommunications, EY India said, “The outlook of the GCC industry remains buoyant as companies look to set-up their GCCs in India. GCCs are expanding their operations across different cities in India, while exploring new areas of service and hiring talent with niche skill- sets. With the increasing number of global leadership roles based in India, GCCs will continue to move up the value chain through innovation, product development and digital transformation.” 

The India GCC industry is expected to have a headcount of over 4.5 million people, compared to the current base of ~1.9mn. GCCs are increasingly focusing on employee value proposition to retain talent and are collaborating with partners to fulfil niche resource requirements at scale and speed. Furthermore, tier-II cities are also grabbing the interest of GCC leaders with increased availability of skilled talent at lower salaries, reduced cost of real estate, improving infrastructure and social security. Amidst a thriving start-up ecosystem, India has an excellent opportunity for GCCs and start-ups to work together as it accelerates the entire innovation journey. 

According to the report, the overall cost per FTE will increase from the current level of US$29,100 to US$37,760 by 2030. The key factors affecting the increase in workforce costs include rising salaries, focus on employee value proposition, collaboration with recruitment agencies to fulfill niche resource requirements and investments in digital platforms for training new hires.

The top GCC trends for the year include:

• Establishment of Centres of Excellence (CoEs) in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, engineering, data analytics, and cybersecurity
• Transitioning from a 'cost centre' to a 'profit centre,' with a focus on generating new revenue streams
• Expansion of functions in areas such as legal, marketing, and procurement with increased investments
• Greater emphasis on Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to supplement key areas of focus such as organisational culture, nature of work, rewards, and compensation

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About GCC Vision 2030 report: 

For this report, past industry data and applied analytical tools were leveraged to understand the growth potential of the GCC industry, employment opportunities and the impact on workforce costs by the year 2030. The report adopted multivariate data analytics approach to identify correlations between different variables, and developed a predictive model for data extrapolation.

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